Welcome Home Daddy

Good afternoon! I hope this finds you well. Thank you for reading this edition of my newsletter. If you’re not currently subscribed, click the button below to receive my weekly reflections.

On Sunday evening, I waited in the arrivals hall at Heathrow Terminal 3 with great anticipation. My husband had been to Seoul for a work conference, and I had missed him greatly, and so had my two kids. Together, we made a sign and packed some snacks, then the three of us hopped on a train and a bus and then another train to surprise him. He didn’t know we were coming (but then, neither did we when he was boarding many hours prior).

We got to Heathrow just before his plane landed and were giddy with excitement. Even our almost-six-month-old could sense something was up! Every time the big doors into the arrivals hall opened, my three-year-old looked up. “Where’s Daddy?” he said. There were ninety minutes of disappointment as Andrew’s plane taxied (for seemingly ages) and as he passed through immigration and baggage claim.

But then, the moment happened. Andrew came through the big doors that had previously been marked with so much disappointment, and our son ran towards him. “Daddy!” he exclaimed, full of joy. It was a picture-perfect moment, as if out of a movie, and I am so glad I caught it on camera.

It’s funny as I reflect on it now. Those ninety minutes of waiting were frustrating and tiring (at least for me!), but it was all absolutely worth it for those nine seconds of watching our toddler reunite with his daddy.

Life is a bit like that sometimes. We wait in anticipation for something to happen. Then, as it seems to get closer, we get antsy for the mountaintop moment. We look forward to the ‘main event,’ excited for what may happen next. We imagine what our life will look like when we finally get the thing we’ve been waiting for, and it’s thrilling.

But waiting for these moments is also frustrating and tiring. It takes a lot of energy to maintain hope, to be patient, and to trust that good things are coming. As I tried to feed my screaming baby while my three-year-old ran around in circles, bumping into people and their luggage with every turn, I was tempted to turn around and go home.

I’m so glad I didn’t. The nine seconds I spent watching our son reunite with his father made all the chaos of the last ninety minutes disappear.

I hope you can point to something in life which was worth waiting for. If not, perhaps head to the arrivals hall at an airport and see the joy in a child’s face when they see the person they’ve come to see.

I hope this was helpful, or at least provoked some interesting thoughts. Please feel free to send it along to someone and encourage them today. If you want to connect with me in other ways, you can follow me on Instagram.

With much love and gratitude,
Stephanie